From October 11−20, 2011, the ITF propagated southward across eastern and western Africa compared to the previous dekad. The mean western portion of the ITF was located approximately at 13.3 degrees North, which was 1.2 degrees south of the climatology mean and 1 degree south of the previous dekad’s position.
As with conditions during the previous dekad, anomalous and strong northerly winds helped push the ITF well south of the climatology position over West Africa. This has resulted in an earlier than average end to rains across portions of the Sahel in West Africa. The eastern portion of the ITF was
approximated at 12.7 degrees North, which was south of the climatology mean position by 0.3 degrees and south of the previous dekad’s position by 0.7 degrees. The location of the ITF over eastern Africa during the second dekad of October is the closest it has been to climatology in several dekads. As such, rainfall has been near−average across eastern Africa. Figure 1 shows the current ITF position relative to the climatology position for the second dekad of October and its previous position during the first dekad of October. Figures 2 and 3 are time series, illustrating the latitudinal means of the western and eastern portions of the ITF, respectively, and their evolutions since the start of April.
